presents in the public domain (And Those That Aren’t) Christmas Songs in the Public Domain (And Those That Aren’t)

The season — a time for family, tradition, peace on earth and some of the year’s highest music consumption. Yep, that’s right. Between October and , millions of people are searching for new Christmas songs — and they could be listening to YOUR music! Recording a few Christmas tunes is one of the best ways to connect with new listeners who might not have otherwise heard your music. But before you choose the (s) you’re going to tackle, you should know ahead of time whether or not you need to pay a publisher/ for the right to record their composition. To make things a little simpler for you, CD Baby has created these two handy lists of popular Christmas tunes. Is the song in the Public Domain list? Great, it’s no longer protected by copyright and you can release it without a license. Want to cover a copyrighted song? You can easily obtain the required mechanical licenses from our friends at Easy Song Licensing.

Popular Christmas Songs in the Public Domain

“Angels We Have Heard “Here We Come A-Caroling “O Come O Come Emmanuel” On High” ( Song)” “O Holy Night” “Auld Lang Syne“ “I Heard The Bells On “O Little Town Of ” Christmas Day” “Away In A Manger” “Once In Royal David’s City” “ “ “Coventry Carol” “” “In The Bleak Midwinter “ “Deck The Halls” “The First Noel” “For Unto Us” “It Came Upon The Midnight Clear” “The ” “Go Tell It On The Mountain” “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” “” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” “” “We Three Kings “ “Good King Wenceslas” “Jolly Old St. Nicholas” “We Wish You A Merry “Hallelujah Chorus” Christmas” ““ “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” “What Child is This” “O Come All Ye Faithful”

2 CHRISTMAS SONGS IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN (AND THOSE THAT AREN’T) Popular Christmas Songs That Are NOT in the Public Domain Believe it or not, these songs (as old and ubiquitous as some of them are) have not yet passed into the Public Domain. The rights for these compositions are still administered by publishers, and a mechanical royalty would need to be paid in order to record and release cover versions of these songs.

“All I Want For Christmas Is My “I Saw Mommy Kissing “Rockin’ Around The Two Front Teeth” ” ” “All I Want For Christmas “I Wonder as I Wander” “Rudolph the Is You” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” Red-Nosed Reindeer” “Amarga Navidad” “It’s a Marshmallow World” “Run Run Rudolph” “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot “” “Blue Christmas” Like Christmas” “Santa Claus Is Back In Town” “Burrito de Belén” “It’s Christmas Time All Over “Santa Claus Is Coming “Canción de Navidad” the World” To Town” “Carol Of The Bells” “Jingle Bell Rock” “Silver Bells” (Lyrics Only, Music, “La Fiesta de Pilito” “” Public Domain) “La Murga” “Star Carol” “Caroling, Caroling” “” “Star Carol (Classical)” “Chestnuts Roasting “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, “Suzy Snowflake” on an Open Fire Let It Snow” ()” “The Most Wonderful Time Of “Little Drummer Boy” The Year” “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” “Mary Did You Know” “This Christmas” “Christmas Time is Here” “Mary’s Boy Child (aka Mary’s “We Need a ” Little Boy Child)” “Christmas Waltz” “What Are You Doing New “Mele Kalikimaka” Year’s Eve?” “Do You Hear What I Hear” “Merry Christmas Baby” “When A Child Is Born” “Feliz Navidad” “Merry Christmas Darling” “When Christmas Comes “” “Mi Regalo Favorito” To Town” “Grown-up Christmas List” “Navidad Blanca” “White Christmas” “Have Yourself a Merry “White World of Winter” Little Christmas” “Navidad Feliz (Jingle Bells)” “Winter Wonderland” “Here Comes Santa Claus “Navidad, Navidad” (Right Down )” “Noche de Luz” “Ya Llego la Navidad” “Holly Jolly Christmas” “Pretty Paper” “You’re a Mean One Mr. ” “Home For the Holidays”

Sources: http://www.pdinfo.com/ http://www.copyrightsolver.com/

3 CHRISTMAS SONGS IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN (AND THOSE THAT AREN’T) Please note: This information is correct to the best of our knowledge, but you are ultimately responsible for securing the rights for any copyrighted material you cover. In other words — this isn’t legal advice, so make sure you do your homework before selling songs you didn’t write.

Release Your Christmas Song

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4 CHRISTMAS SONGS IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN (AND THOSE THAT AREN’T)